The present invention relates generally to automotive vehicle safety systems, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for time-stamping and indicating restraint deployment events within an automotive vehicle.
Currently, many vehicles have a restraints control module (RCM), which controls of the safety-related restraint systems in a vehicle. The RCM receives collision signals from various impact sensors, during a collision, and determines whether to activate a restraint to decrease the potential of an operator injury during the collision. The restraint may be an air bag, a pretensioner, or other restraint known in the art. The RCM also stores the number of times the vehicle has been in a collision.
RCM systems record fault information that is present when a deployment event occurs, which can be cleared by a technician. Clearing the information prevents existence of any historical data on vehicle impact sensors and the RCM itself. Historical data on the impact sensors and the RCM can provide information as to the status and condition of these devices and allows a determination to be made as to whether the devices should be serviced or replaced. RCM systems are incapable of permanently maintaining a relationship between time of deployment and any faults that may have been present during time of deployment.
Historical data on the impact sensors and the RCM may also aid in discovering sustained damage to these devices that may otherwise be undetectable. Although, the impact sensors and the RCM may be capable of surviving a collision multiple times, undetectable damage may cause them to not operate as originally designed.
It would therefore be desirable to develop an improved RCM that stores time and fault information during a deployment. This information may allow a trained technician or an owner of a vehicle to better understand the status of the impact sensors and the RCM of a vehicle so as to determine whether service or replacement is necessary, thereby providing a safer vehicle.